Okay, that kind of sucks.
And being here in this tower has made me really lean into my quirky side. What do you expect after not having much social interaction for eighteen months? I have a hard time remembering which thoughts are supposed to stay inside.
But I have to give myself credit—I didn’t say anything to Ryder about his flirtatious muscles.
Oh, and then he PUT HIS HANDS ON MY WAIST. I’d have to be made of stone not to melt at his touch.
I’m proud of how well I hid my reaction, though. At leastthosethoughts stayed inside. I was quick to push him off and make him think I was annoyed with him instead of swooning.
Maybe not quite as quick as I should have been, but I think I had him fooled.
But now that he’s gone, I’m just left with my imagination. Sitting at my table, I put my chin in my hand and let myself drift off into my thoughts. And my imagination is nothing if not wild.
Because in my imagination, we have an instant romantic connection. Instead of pushing him off when he puts his hands on my hips, I lean into his embrace. He slides his handsto the small of my back, then uses one hand to brush the hair off my forehead, tucking it behind my ear, and then?—
Buzz, buzz. My phone rings with a call from Bethany, my cousin/lawyer. Strange. Usually she contacts my brothers and father, who relay the messages to me. But her number is one of the few that isn’t blocked on my phone.
I’m like a little kid with a phone that’s under the heaviest restrictions possible, for emergencies only and no access to the Internet. My family is convinced that Tristan will use a random number to contact me at some point, and therefore I’m only allowed contact from a few people: my family, my brothers’ fiancées, and Bethany.
I do have access to the Internet on my laptop, but I’m only supposed to use that for school or educational purposes, like fitness videos on YouTube. I’ve been blocked from any entertainment sites or popular culture channels that will remind me of the people who hurt me most.
“Hi, Bethany,” I say, picking up the phone.
“Hey, Lily.” Her voice is tinged with a British accent that’s just pronounced enough to sound fake. We’ve teased her about it over the years, but if anything, she’s leaned into the weirdness and turned it into her signature trademark. “Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Mm, no, I’m super busy,” I tease.
“Oh. Well, I guess…”
“I’m kidding! What else am I doing?” I laugh out loud.
But Bethany doesn’t seem as amused. “Yes, well, I’m hoping we’ll be able to amend that soon. You’ve been in there for…much longer than we expected.” She sighs. “I’m sorry, Lily.”
“Oh, it’s fine. It’s for the best. At least, that’s what the consultant says. He’s the expert, right?”
She pauses. “Have you actually spoken to Mr. Calhoun yourself?”
“No, I haven’t met him. But Adam really trusts him.” I glance at the picture that now sits on my kitchen table, our happy family from fifteen years ago covered in broken glass.
“Mm-hmm.” She pauses again. “Well, I have some news. It seems that Tristan has effectively disappeared. He hasn’t responded to his lawyer in weeks, and we’re possibly able to shut the case down soon. I wanted to tell you myself. I don’t want you to get your hopes up too high, but this could be good for you.”
“Oh! That’s…great.”
“It really is. You’ll be able to go back to normal soon.”
I don’t say anything in reply. I’m not sure exactlywhatto say, not yet.
“Well, I think I’ll call your father now,” Bethany says. “It was nice hearing your voice.”
“Yeah, same. Thanks for the call, Bethany.”
As I hang up, I try to look inward and decipher my emotions. I should be excited. This is what I’ve been waiting for. When everything first happened, I thought I’d be out of the penthouse within a few weeks, maybe a month. But one month turned to two, then seven, then I got moved here and…well, before I knew it, this was my new normal. It was easier to stay here than face the alternative.
Sure, I complain to Adam and Henry and Father about being stuck here. I whine about the Internet connection, and of course I complain about not having a piano.
But now that I’ve been isolated for so long…do I really want to go out?
That’s something I’ll have to chew on.
